[arin-ppml] ARIN and the Evolution of the IANA Functions

[John Curran]

On Mar 23, 2014, at 9:24 AM, Milton L Mueller <mueller at syr.edu> wrote:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Curran [mailto:jcurran at arin.net] 
> 
>> Your characterization: "eliminate the accountability"
>> The actual statement: "ensure appropriate accountability mechanisms"
> 
> The end of the IANA contract WILL eliminate the accountability that comes with NTIA as principal of the IANA contract and ICANN as agent. Factual and definite. 
> 
> In the I* statement, "ensure appropriate accountability mechanisms" is just a bunch of words in a statement. At best, it is a declaration of your intention to do something - as yet unspecified - to address the issue.

Correct.  We will need the community to specify what is necessary for 
accountability mechanisms.

> So my characterization is accurate. The only known form of external accountability is being eliminated, and not replaced with anything definite.

Milton - Please do not mischaracterize the statement as a declaration 
that accountability mechanisms have been considered and deemed sufficient,
since that is not what it says...  I am actually quite proud of the fact 
that the I* statement did not judge the current accountability measures, 
or suggest specific accountability mechanisms, as those are matters for 
the community to consider.

> What's especially telling, however, is that in your plan accountability is basically an afterthought, something that will, if we are lucky, be bolted on to the architecture of your solution. In the IGP plan, accountability via structural separation is at the core of the architecture. 

Actually, the question of the NTIA IANA contract transition does raise 
a valid question about how we demonstrate the accountability of the 
entire system to the global Internet community.  I believe this means 
that we'll need to have a discussion specifically of IANA accountability 
(with respect to performance of the actual IANA functions) and also a 
discussion of overall ICANN system accountability, dealing more with 
the indirect accountability issues that may arise NTIA transition of 
oversight.

I believe that your efforts here are not disjoint with the discussions 
which need to occur, but simply ahead of the process by a short number
of days.  I am attending ICANN this week in Singapore predominantly to
gain an understanding of the process which will be launched, and hope
to have more information to share with the ARIN community by mid-week.

Thanks!
/John

John Curran
President and CEO
ARIN